The Novice Program is open to anyone with the desire and physical ability to experience sweep rowing beyond LTR. The primary focus of this program is to continue rowers’ introduction to the sport, build fitness without injury and acquire a set of basic skills, which will enable them to continue on to the Experienced Program.
SCHEDULE
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 5:30 am- 7:00 am
- Novice I: May 8th – June 1st Sign-up
- Novice II: June 5th – July 13th Sign-up
- Novice III: July 17th – Aug 24th Sign-up
- Novice IV: Aug 28th – Oct 5th Sign-up
Novice I is 4 weeks in length, the other Novice sessions are 6 weeks each
COST
- Novice I: $55
- Novice II: $75
- Novice III: $75
- Novice IV: $75
Club Membership is necessary for participation in the Novice Program. However, new Novice rowers can wait to pay their membership fee until after they participate in the 4th rowing day of the session. This gives new rowers a chance to make sure this is the right sport for them before joining as full members.
The fee for the Novice program must be paid at the beginning of the session. After the 4th rowing day, novice rowers must decide whether or not to join the club. New Novice rowers who decide not to continue prior to the 5th rowing day of their first Novice session can request a refund for up to $30 from their Novice program fee.
CURRICULUM and PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS
- The Novice Program concentrates on skill development through drills. This will include rowing technique, etiquette and vocabulary, equipment handling including carrying the boat safely, boat parts/terminology and correct foot stretcher/oar height placements. As soon as reasonable, training will end with 10 to 20 minutes of continuous rowing each day.
- Embedded within each Novice session is coxswain training. . All rowers in the Novice program will be expected to cox occasionally when dedicated coxswains are not available; the “fair coxing” guideline rotates program members to ensure coxing duties are spread across all rowers. Rowers will learn and practice coxing skills essential to ensure safety of the boat and crew during carrying, launching, steering and docking. Reasonable coxswain skills (sufficient to safely cox practice sessions) are required to graduate from the Novice Program.
-Novice is a great opportunity for a rower to build the skills they need for lifelong rowing in a team environment. Novices are expected to stay in the Novice Program for at least one (1) calendar year from the date of entry in order to establish a strong foundation before advancing
-Novices have the unique opportunity to race in Novice categories for one year after their first race. For this reason, the Novice program will build throughout the season culminating with an optional fall regatta, plus two local regattas during the summer.
-In rare circumstances, the program coach and Head Coach may advance a novice rower early to the Experienced or Racing program if they demonstrate adequate mastery of rowing technique and physical fitness.
[Excerpt from the 2012 Program Document. View or download here.]
